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TEN MINUTES OF ENGLISH A DAY!You can find a mixture of reading, crosswords, videos and short English lessons: these will normally be vocabulary, but I may also treat you to some grammar!There are now over 240 lessons on this blog. Look through the Blog archive, Post labels and Popular Posts to find what you want.

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''Let nature be your teacher''William Wordsworth, poet, 1770-1850

''Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift''Albert Einstein, physicist, 1879-1955

Thursday, 11 February 2016

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Time for another grammar lesson! This one looks at the differences between past simple and present perfect.

1.Complete
the magazine article by using the past
simple form of the verbs in brackets.

Oxfam: the start

This
large organization started1 (start) its work in the
difficult years of World War II. Back in 1942, a number of people in Oxford 2 (meet) and 3 (form) a group - the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief - to help people in other
countries. They 4 (begin) with Greece. They 5 (collect) food and clothes, and 6
(send) them to help many poor people in Greece.

World
War II 7 (come) to an end, but the group 8 (see) that there was no end to
wars and disasters - and the need for their work. So the organization 9
(go) world-wide and its name 10 (become) Oxfam. Today, Oxfam
runs programmes in over 70 developing countries.

2.Complete
the magazine article by using the present
perfect form of the verbs in brackets.

Oxfam: the success story
continues

Big
successes for Oxfam have included1 (include) help after hurricanes and
other natural disasters. There 2 (be) another important aim, too.
From the start, Oxfam 3 (work) to help poor people build
a better future. It 4 (organize) long-term programmes
in developing countries for many years, and these 5
(help) millions of people to escape poverty and disease.

For
example, Oxfam 6 (provide) equipment for
communities to get clean water. It 7 (train) thousands of health
workers, and these people 8 (improve) the health of whole
regions. In addition, Oxfam 9 (make)

many
new businesses possible through financial help and training. Recently, with
some skills training, a group of women in Bangladesh 10 (build) a successful company
making hand-made products.

3.Past Simple and Present Perfect. Underline the correct form of the verbs.

1.In recent years, the rich became / have
become richer.

2.At the same time, the poor grew / have grown poorer.

3.In 1945, the richer countries of the world
started / have started the World Bank
to help the poorer parts of the world.

4.Since 1945, most developing countries borrowed / have borrowed from the World
Bank to pay for development programmes.

5.People in the Third World received / have received aid such as
food from western countries for many years.

6.Until the 1980s, the development and aid
programmes were often / have often been
the wrong ones for developing countries; for example, free food aid often hurt / has often hurt local
farmers financially.

7.There is another problem even now —
western businesses continued / have
continued to buy from the country with the lowest price.

8.In the last twenty years, organizations
like Tradecraft finally began / have
finally begun to make a real difference to the way western and developing
countries trade.

4.Complete
the article by using the past simple or present perfect form of the verbs.

Concern: in partnership with
Oxfam

In
1975, the organization Concern established1 (establish) a
centre in Demra, Bangladesh. Concern 2 (want) to provide food and health
care for poor people. Since then, with the help of Oxfam, it 3 (encourage) people to work
together to improve their living conditions. For several years, Oxfam and
Concern 4 (work) with a group of women in
Demra. In the 1990s, Concern 5 (set) up a skills training centre
and the women 6 (learn) to make hand-made
products like baskets and incense. At first, the women 7 (sell) their products locally.
Then Oxfam 8 (do) some market research for
them. Since then, the business 9 (develop) its incense products
for the international market. In recent years, it 10 (sell) its incense to The Body
Shop and other European buyers. The business 11 (change) the lives of 150 women
and their families.

Adapted from International Express OUP
2009

Answers below!

ANSWERS!

1.Complete
the magazine article by using the past
simple form of the verbs in brackets.

Oxfam: the start

This
large organization started1 (start) its work in the difficult years of
World War II. Back in 1942, a number of people in Oxford met2 (meet) and formed3 (form) a group - the Oxford
Committee for Famine Relief - to
help people in other countries. They began4 (begin) with Greece. They collected5 (collect) food and clothes, and sent6 (send) them to help many poor people in Greece.

World
War II came7 (come) to an end,
but the group saw8 (see) that
there was no end to wars and disasters - and the need for their work. So the organization
went9 (go) world-wide and its
name became10 (become) Oxfam.
Today, Oxfam runs programmes in over 70 developing countries.

2.Complete
the magazine article by using the present
perfect form of the verbs in brackets.

Oxfam: the success story
continues

Big
successes for Oxfam have included1 (include) help after hurricanes and
other natural disasters. There has been2
(be) another important aim, too. From the start, Oxfam has worked3 (work) to help poor people build a better
future. It has organized4 (organize)
long-term programmes in developing countries for many years, and these have helped5 (help) millions of
people to escape poverty and disease.

For
example, Oxfam has provided6 (provide)
equipment for communities to get clean water. It has
trained7 (train) thousands of health workers, and these people have improved8 (improve) the
health of whole regions. In addition, Oxfam has made9 (make)

many
new businesses possible through financial help and training. Recently, with
some skills training, a group of women in Bangladesh have built10 (build) a successful company making
hand-made products.

3.Past Simple and Present Perfect. Underline the correct form of the verbs.

1.In recent years, the rich became / have
become richer.

2.At the same time, the poor grew / have grown poorer.

3.In 1945, the richer countries of the world
started / have started the
World Bank to help the poorer parts of the world.

4.Since 1945, most developing countries borrowed / have borrowed from the
World Bank to pay for development programmes.

5.People in the Third World received / have received aid such
as food from western countries for many years.

6.Until the 1980s, the development and aid
programmes were often / have often
been the wrong ones for developing countries; for example, free food aid often hurt / has often hurt local
farmers financially.

7.There is another problem even now —
western businesses continued / have
continuedto buy from the country with the lowest price.

8.In the last twenty years, organizations
like Tradecraft finally began / have
finally begun to make a real difference to the way western and
developing countries trade.

4.Complete
the article by using the past simple or present perfect form of the verbs.

Concern: in partnership with
Oxfam

In
1975, the organization Concern established1 (establish) a
centre in Demra, Bangladesh. Concern wanted2 (want) to provide food and health care for poor people. Since
then, with the help of Oxfam, it has
encouraged3 (encourage) people to work together to improve
their living conditions. For several years, Oxfam and Concern have worked4 (work) with a group
of women in Demra. In the 1990s, Concern set5 (set) up a skills
training centre and the women learnt6
(learn) to make hand-made products like baskets and incense. At first, the
women sold7 (sell) their
products locally. Then Oxfam did8
(do) some market research for them. Since then, the business has developed9 (develop) its
incense products for the international market. In recent years, it has sold10 (sell) its incense to
The Body Shop and other European buyers. The business has changed11 (change) the lives of 150 women and their
families.